CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The San Francisco men's tennis team split a pair of dual matches in the Harvard-hosted Crimson Kickoff to open the spring slate over the weekend. Rebounding after a tough loss to Old Dominion, the Dons bounced back to dispatch Furman 4-3 on Sunday to round out the action and return home with a 1-1 record.

After being blanked 4-0 in Saturday's match against Old Dominion, USF responded well in the second outing of the trip, though the squad was forced to battle back after a shaky start to the morning.

"It's was a huge comeback today against a good team and well-coached program of Furman," noted USF head coach Pablo Pires de Almeida. "Peter [Bartlett, Director of Tennis] and I loved the way the guys responded after a sloppier doubles than we wanted."

The Dons dropped the doubles point after losing all three pairings to the Paladins, and went into singles play with the disadvantage. USF quickly knotted the match after Oliver Poysti defeated Jake Munns in straight sets from the No. 4 position. No. 3 player Mert Zincirli gave USF the team scoring lead after dispatching Clarke Wilson, 6-1, 6-4.

Furman battled back to take the next two points of the day from the Nos. 1 and 2 positions, giving the Paladins the 3-2 advantage. Then, Woravin Kumthonkittikul notched the win for the Dons from the No. 6 spot and the match results hinged on the final pairing of the day. Christian Brockstedt dropped his first set, 3-6, before rallying back in the second with a 6-4 victory over Alex Steryous. USF's senior from Aarhus, Denmark, took the decisive third set by the same score to secure the match win for the Dons and salvage a split in the trip to Boston.

"There was great focus right away from Mert and Oliver, explained Pires de Almeida. "They were able to give other guys momentum, and Woravin played very disciplined to take care of his match in straight sets. The top two players for Furman were very strong. Christian did a great job staying focused and believing he could win. The entire team wanted this match and supported each other until the finish, and it was great to build on things for our UC Davis match this coming Friday at home."

Up next, the Dons host the Aggies in the city with Friday's first serve from the California Tennis Club slated for 1 p.m.
 

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Old Dominion 4, USF 0
Saturday, Jan. 21 | Cambridge, Mass. (Murr Center)

Singles competition – Order of finish (1, 2, 4)
1. No. 24 Adam Moundir (ODU) def. Johan Joenhagen (USF) 6-2, 6-2
2. Michael Weindl (ODU) def. Ryan Marker (USF) 6-1, 6-3
3. Jacob Nicolussi (ODU) dnf. Mert Zincirli (USF)
4. Aziz Kijametovic (ODU) def. Oliver Poysti (USF) 6-2, 6-3
5. Javier Jover Maestre (ODU) dnf. Christian Brockstedt (USF)
6. Justin Herrera (ODU) dnf. Woravin Kumthonkittikul (USF)

Doubles competition – Order of finish (3, 2, 1)
1. Adam Moundir/Jacob Nicolussi (ODU) def. Johan Joenhagen/Mert Zincirli 6-4
2. Christian Brockstedt/Oliver Poysti def. Aziz Kijametovic/Jose Nunez Navarro (ODU) 7-5
3. Michael Weindl/Javier Jover Maestre (ODU) def. Ryan Marker/Paul Giraud 6-2
 

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USF 4, Furman 3
Sunday, Jan. 22 | Cambridge, Mass. (Murr Center)

Singles competition – Order of finish (4, 3, 2, 1, 6, 5)
1. Adam Steryous (FUR) def. Johan Joenhagen (USF); 6-0, 7-5
2. Cameron Green (FUR) def. Ryan Marker (USF); 6-3, 6-4
3. Mert Zincirli (USF) def. Clarke Wilson (FUR); 6-1, 6-4
4. Oliver Poysti (USF) def. Jake Munns (FUR); 6-2, 6-2
5. Christian Brockstedt (USF) def. Alex Steryous (FUR); 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
6. Woravin Kumthonkittikul (USF) def. Josh Pistorius (FUR); 6-4, 6-3
 
Doubles competition – Order of finish (3, 2, 1)
1. Adam Steryous/Jake Munns (FUR) def. Johan Joenhagen/Mert Zincirli (USF); 6-4
2. Cameron Green/Alex Steryous (FUR) def. Christian Brockstedt/Oliver Poysti (USF); 6-2
3. Clarke Wilson/Trevor Croyder (FUR) def. Ryan Marker/Paul Giraud (USF); 6-3